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september 8 The Boston Film Festival isn’t close to being on par with Sundance or the one north of us in Toronto, but the Festival’s creative director John Michael Williams says truly, that’s where they’d like to get. We’ll see if this year’s offerings – about 40 films as we write this – will get Boston any closer to that goal. The Festival, under the guidance of Williams and executive director Robin Dawson, begins Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. with “Homie Spumoni,” co-written and directed by Michael Cerrone. You may know Cerrone from his work with the Farrelly brothers, and, yes, “Homie” begins with a rather crude joke we won’t spoil here. The plot involves a light-skinned black kid named Renato (Donald Faison, “Scrubs”) who is lost by his parents in Italy. He’s adopted by an Italian family in the US and is raised Italian. Then, his real family finds him at age 20. His brother Dana (Tony Rock) is dismayed because the kid doesn’t know how to be black. “I know I’m black,’’ Renato says. “I’m just not good at it yet.’’ Hilarity ensues. Producer Gregg Nourjian and executive producer Chris Vecchia – both local guys – say that just about every racial, ethnic or religious stereotype is trotted out and exploded. The two are at a table at Festival co-sponsor Roger Berkowitz’s new restaurant LTK in the seaport area trying to count the numbers. They come up with about 10 possible groups that could be offended, but then keep adding to the list as the conversation goes on. Black, Italians and Jews probably get most of it, they decide. “It’s a really funny journey through people’s stereotypes,” says Nourjian. “There’s lot of wincing’’ in the audience,’’ says Vecchia. “Like ‘I can’t believe he just said that’,’’ adds Nourjian. But plucking a Farrelly-esque line, Vecchia says ultimately, “It’s all about friends, family. It has heart.’’ The film, which will probably get a PG-13 rating, was shot in Toronto, like every movie in the world. The producers are hoping a distribution deal comes out of their Boston premiere. It screens, as do all the Festival flicks, at AMC Loews Boston Common 19. Tickets: $9. 175 Tremont St., 617-423-3499, bostonfilmfestival.org |
